Jim Malone Yunomi Bowl, Ainstable Pottery

Jim Malone Yunomi Bowl

A stoneware yunomi by Jim Malone, decorated with finely incised vertical lines beneath a softly mottled ash glaze. The carved surface creates a rhythm around the vessel, with the darker glaze settling into the grooves and emphasising the texture of the clay beneath. The interior is finished in a muted celadon-grey glaze, while the raised foot and gently flared rim give the piece a satisfying balance in the hand.

A yunomi is a traditional Japanese tea cup intended for everyday use rather than the formal tea ceremony. Unlike a tea bowl, which is often associated with ritual, a yunomi is designed to be lived with and used daily. The form became particularly important to British studio potters who admired the Japanese belief that ordinary objects could possess extraordinary beauty.

About the Potter

Jim Malone (born 1946) is widely regarded as one of Britain’s finest living studio potters. Born in Sheffield, he studied at Camberwell School of Art before spending time working under Ray Finch at Winchcombe Pottery, one of the most important centres of British studio ceramics.

In the 1970s Malone moved to the Eden Valley in Cumbria, where he established Ainstable Pottery and built his own wood and oil-fired climbing kiln. There he developed a practice deeply influenced by Korean and Japanese ceramics, producing pots that celebrated the interaction between clay, glaze and fire.

Malone became known for his mastery of ash glazes, tenmoku glazes and traditional firing techniques. His work is admired for its quiet restraint and technical excellence, and is held in major public collections including the Victoria & Albert Museum. Collectors often regard his jugs and tea wares amongst the finest examples of contemporary British studio pottery.

This yunomi demonstrates many of the qualities that define Malone’s work: a simple form, subtle glaze effects and a surface that reveals more detail the closer it is examined. Like the best studio pottery, it feels both humble and extraordinary at the same time.

Condition

Very good condition. Potters seal to base. 

Dimensions

Height: 9 cm

Diameter: 9 cm